Rotary compressor, expander, motor, and pump



lilly '3, 19231 W. J. HAwKlNs ROTARY COMPRESSOR, EXPANDER; MOTOR? ANDvPUMP Filed sept. 1e. 1921 named Juiys, 1923.

UNiTi-:D STATES PATENT OFFICE.y

WILFOBD J'. HAWKINS, 0F MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

ROTARY COMPRESSOR, EXPANDER'MOTOB, AND PUMP.

Application nled September 16, 1921. Serial Ho. 501,078.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILFoRD J. HAWKINs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Montclair, Essex County, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Compressors, Expanders, Motors, and Pumps, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawin s, formin a part thereof.

y invention relates to improvements in rotary compressors, expanders, motors and pumps in'which a rotor narranged eccentrically of a casing has a blade or vane or a plurality of blades or 'vanes radially movable and 'arranged to exert their thrust against a racer ring which itselfrotates.

An object of this invention is to provide a compact, eicient device of this class in which the friction due to vane thrust is reduced to a minimum.

A further object of the invention is to rovide a device of this class in which very iiigh speeds of the rotor may be obtained.

Another object of the invention is to provide a4 simply constructed device of this class, of low manufacturing cost, capableof a wide range of usefulness, of a lon g operating life and in which accessibility and ease o repair are a feature.

My invention resides in the combination and arrangement of Darts and in the details of construction described in the specification .and particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise embodiment ofthe invention shown herewithl as various changes may be made within the scope of what is claimed 4without departing from the spirit of the invention. I intend no limitations other than those imposed by the claims.

Referring to the drawin Figure 1 i's a sectional pI'an-view through the rotor on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2 of a rotary vane pump embodying the principles of my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation on theA line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar arts throughout the views.

'IErning to ig. 2 M designates apower source, such as an electric motor, havin `a shaft 10 keyed as at 9, 9 to a hollo'v portion 8 of a rotor shaft 7, which in turn, is ke ed to a rotor 5 as at 4, 4. The rotor sha 7 revolves in bearings 3, 3 the upward thrust of the shaft being taken by a yshoulder 2. On a reduced portion 1 of the shaft 7 is a gear p of an oilv ump of a well known ty e, another intermes ing gear p being rotata ly mounted on a stud 11 1n an en'd casing bearing plate 12.

A plurality of blades or'vanes 13 13 in this embodiment six in number, extend between the to and bottom of the chamber and are slida ly-mounted in radial slots 14 in the rotor 5 and exert their thrust against a racer ring 15 extending the height of said chamber but which does not contact. withv the interior periphery of the rotor chamber except at the top and bottom edges and is spaced therefrom by an oil balance groove 16, being positioned by spacer rid es 17, 17 :o located as totake the thrust othe ring due to the pressure of the fluid in the rotor chamber. g

Oil is forced into the balance groove at an inlet opening 18 and comes out at an outlet opening 19.

The frame or casing comprises a, base 20,

a lower casing member 21, an upper casing member 22, and va distance ring member 23, the latter forming a rotor chamber.

Between the members 21 and 23 is a door plate 24. Between the members 22 and 23 is aceiling plate 25. In each of these two plates are intake orts 26, 26 for the rotor and outlet ports 2;, 27.

In each of the casing members .21, 22 areA inlet connections 28, `28, and outlet connections 29, 29.

Each ofthe casing members is divided by radial partitions 30, 30 to 've intake chambers 31, 31 and outlet amers 32, 32.

In operation, the shaft 7 is driven by the motor shaft 10. The rotor 5 revolves at high speed, centrifuglal action forcing the vanes 13, 13 against t e racer ring 15 which itself lis dragged by reason of the vane thrust, and rotates against the film of oil in the oil balance Lgrr ove 16. The peripheral speed of the bla ring against which they exert their thrust is thus measurably decreased and the friction e ends relative to the racer high speeds, is likewise materially decreased. The friction of the racer ring is at a minimum as it is sensibly floating on an oil iihn bearing surface, the oil of which may be-un. der any desired pressure.

The action of the rotor vanes may be readily understood by reference to the drawing. A uid supply enters at bothmtake connections 28, 28 and passes to the rotor chambers through ports 26, 26. Because of the eccentric location of the rotor the space between adjacentl vanes increases until the vanes are in the sition of the lowermost vanos of Fig. 1. rotor the vanes are forced in b the racer ring inner surface and the ilui space between adjacent vanes is gradually decreased until the outlet ports`27, 27 are uncovered and the fluid discharged at the correspondin pressure.

It is apparent to those skilled in the art that by forcing fluid under pressure into the rotor chamber through the ports 27 and discharging it at the ports 26, the device illustrated may be operable as a fluid motor. It

is further apparent that by the location of' intake ports as at 27, 27 and outlet ports ad- 'acent the point where the fluid chamber as the atest cross section, the device il- Y lustrate may be operable as a fiuid expander.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, a rotor casing, an upper casing member, a lower casing member, a plate between said upper casing member and said rotor casing, a plate between said lower casing member `and saidrotor casing, intake ports and outn further rotation of theA let -porjts in each ofsaid plates, intake connections and outlet connections on each of said casmg members, and a base member.

2. In a device of the character described, a rotor casing, a rotor chamber therein, upper and lower casing members, a ceiling plate and a door plate for said rotor casing chamber, a base, a rotor shaft and bearings for said shaft in said casing members and said lplates.

3. n a device of the character described, a rotor casing, a racer ring therein and spaced from said casing, means on the inner periphe of said casing to support the thrust o said ring, a substantially annular oil balance groove between said ring and said casing, and means to supply oil to said glll'oove, said groove being uninterrupted t roughout the major portion. of the circumference thereof.

4. In a device of the character described, a rotor casing, a racer ring therein, a rotor assembly eccentricall mounted within said ring comprising a p urality of vanes contacting with sald ring wherebyportions of uid of varying pressures are adjacent different portions o ridges for said ring 4located only adjacent the points of greatest luid pressures.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand this 14th of Se tember, 1921.

'i' LEFOR J. HAWKINS.

said ring, and supporting 

